L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was “disheartened” to read newspaper stories about Deasy’s possible resignation. “He is a friend and (someone) whose work I support,” Garcetti said. (File photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy may be resigning, according to media reports. (File photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)

Amid reports Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy may be resigning, Mayor Eric Garcetti suggested Friday that the school board — which has clashed with Deasy — has been overreaching its power at the district.

Speaking at an event in Hollywood, Garcetti said he was “disheartened” to read newspaper stories about Deasy’s possible resignation. “He is a friend and (someone) whose work I support,” Garcetti said.

Garcetti said he had talked to many individuals at the school district, and called Deasy’s exit “an evolving story.” If there is turnover, Garcetti said, he will ensure that the next superintendent isn’t “micromanaged” by the school board. Though when asked by a reporter directly if he was saying the current board is micromanaging Deasy, Garcetti said “Those are your words.”

Deasy, who was hired in 2011, has increasingly clashed with the school board — after its composition changed with this year’s election and members chose Richard Vladovic as president — over issues such as the budget, implementation of Common Core and the rollout of a new iPad program.

Addressing the role of the seven-member school board, Garcetti told reporters: “A board is there to set policy, is there to guide the direction. But at the end of the day, they are not the ones who are supposed to run the district. That’s supposed to be the superintendent.”

The comments were the latest salvo in the deteriorating relationships between some board members and Deasy.

Deasy has told some board members that he plans to resign, according to source close to the board. But the superintendent, who took the job in 2011, hasn’t publicly stated whether he will leave or not, only saying that he has not submitted a letter of resignation.

At Friday’s event, Garcetti praised Deasy’s work, citing lowered absentee rates and improved test scores. The mayor also warned that a loss of leadership could be disruptive.

“I think the adults at the school district, across the board, need to remember that there are kids who (will be) the collateral damage to any loss of leadership, any loss of momentum, and any dysfunction and fighting.”

“If there is a transition, it’s important that we not lose the momentum, and for us to make sure we have a board that’s focused on results, not politics. ... All of us who are in government know, we have to let our managers manage and that is critically important.”